Hair salons could face fines for discriminatory pricing
Hairdressers' organisation moves to eradicate problem
|
|
|
The Ombudsman for Equality plans to use the threat of a fine to force barber shops and hair salons to end pricing policies seen to amount to gender discrimination.
Many hair stylists continue to have separate pricing for services for men and women, even though the hair stylist entrepreneur organisation Hiusyrittäjät has been urging members to have the same prices for the same procedures for as long as the present law on equality has been in force.
A warning from Equality Ombudsman Pirkko Mäkinen has been sent a number of hair salons and barber shops in the Helsinki region and Oulu after receiving complaints on the issue.
If the warning does not help, Mäkinen is ready to bring the matter before the Equality Board, which is entitled to impose a conditional fine to enforce an order to end discriminatory pricing. The businesses in question have about two months to respond.
Anja Laurila, executive director of Hiusyrittäjät, says that many salons probably violate the law out of ignorance.
"We have been instructing our member businesses for over ten years on how to change pricing. The problem is that only one fifth of the companies in the field are organised, and have had access to the information we provide", Laurila says.
"If a haircut takes less than half an hour, the price can be different than for a haircut that lasts more than half an hour", Laurila says.
Under the guidelines prices can vary according to how much time the procedures take and how much hair care products are used.
"The price list must be such that customers can see in advance what each procedure costs. No price may be determined according to the gender of the customer", Laurila says.
Gender-based discrimination has been banned by the law on equality, which has been in force for 20 years. The stipulations on commerce and services came into effect in 1995.
Gender discrimination in pricing is also proscribed by the European Union directive on equality, which will take effect in Finland soon.
Helsingin Sanomat
|
| 10.10.2007 - TODAY |
 Hair salons could face fines for discriminatory pricing |
|
